The Tribune

THE title of this article tells the whole story. Say the word history and response is akin to an invitation to watch grass grow. Say sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and wow, try to keep curious eyes and inquiring minds from reading on to see what comes next.

The reason history seems dull to many is that it is too often taught not as a tale that involved brave or foolish or evil or amazing men and women. It is taught as a series of dates and places which students are supposed to memorize and regurgitate. For a country like The Bahamas, so much of our true story is lost because it simply wasn’t being told right. Now, perhaps for the first time, we have a Prime Minister who is determined to find the means to bring history to life even in times of tight budgets. We were impressed and gratified when Prime Minister Hubert Minnis toured the forts and historic sites last week and vowed to create a national museum whether it is at Collins House or elsewhere.

Before we lose the audience that started reading this because of the title, here is how we tie those alluring words into our lore.

We put our historic buildings to use, each with a different practical purpose revealing a part of the story. These various historic buildings and sites, now many neglected and abandoned, can be transformed with their basic integrity intact to serve as bread and breakfast inns, specialized schools, mini-museums. At least two of the forts, can be the centrepiece of exterior restaurants or arts, crafts and culture centres. Why should a book fair or art show not be held at a fort? Why should a graduation ceremony not be under a tent with the Water Tower in the background? Picture the images and memories of a non-traditional wedding with guests travelling by ferry to the western edge of Paradise Island where the bridal party emerges from the Nassau harbour lighthouse to walk “the isle”. In fact, some of the most dramatic wedding photos we have seen were from a small wedding at the Queen’s Staircase – in the rain. Umbrellas only added to the mood of the setting and the scene was almost surreal in its stark beauty.

The problem is that in the past we have only thought of our buildings as structures, not as places where experiences occur. The sole exception is Fort Charlotte which has played stage host to light shows and celebrations.

Architects say that a building has strong bones if its foundation is firm, its walls solid, its lines good, its perspective pleasing to the eye. We say it is time to put life in those bones, to add excitement, to put flesh on those bones and give them new purpose.

Andrea Major, president of the Bahamas Historical Society, on a talk radio show with Lester R Cox and Diane Phillips last week proposed repairing and transforming the Water Tower into the start of a national museum. We think it is a brilliant idea. Where does the funding come from to repair and convert properties like Blackbeard’s Tower, the steps of The Hermitage in Cat Island, the Hermitage in Exuma, the abandoned Deveaux plantation in Cat Island?

We suggest the following: Under the auspices of the Prime Minister, a working committee comprised of representatives of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corp., Historic Bahamas Foundation, Historic Charles Towne, Bahamas Historical Society engage with key stakeholders, including local government representatives, to develop a working strategy. Such a strategy would encompass an inventory of ownership (many historic sites are in private or church hands), recommendations for sites to be considered for long-term commercial or education leases and which should be state-maintained, projected expenditure and revenue over a specified period and the bidding process for any commercialisation.

The Deveaux plantation in Cat Island, for instance, with its expanse of grounds, its massive stone walls, its empty sockets where something akin to windows once existed, is a prime example of an historic structure begging to be given new life. The manor house could be transformed into the centrepiece of a high-end boutique spa and wellness resort or a venue for destination weddings or other events. Plaques and a storyboard could tell the story of the plantation and of Cat Island. Signature menu dishes could be designed around the produce, chicken, goats and lamb that once grazed the plantation. Or, if a non-government organization or foundation wanted to restore the property, it could use it for a charitable purpose with grant and other support funding. It could even be converted into an education facility for advanced historic, environmental, art or music studies.

Together, these individual structures are the physical threads that with practical transformations could weave a fabric of experiences breathing life into the Bahamian story. It is a story filled with tales of romance, of spiritual purity and of brazen piracy, of culprits and of the courageous, a hodgepodge of human tragedy and the triumph that rises above it. How we capture and preserve that history and give it new life is the challenge. All it takes is imagination and commitment. We believe that both are at our fingertips under the leadership of a Prime Minister and government that understand that what led up to the quest for independence was rich with cliffhangers and yes, rife with sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and the indomitable strength of the Bahamian people.

Mitchell wants Izmirlian in court

IT wasn’t enough for Fred Mitchell in 2015 when he held the powerful portfolio of Immigration Minister in the PLP government to tell Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian that if he didn’t like the manner in which he felt he was being taken advantage of by the Christie government, rather than speaking his mind, he should “consider making the appropriate steps to live elsewhere”. Today, removed from a position of power, but still with a voice as an Opposition Senator, Mr Mitchell is suggesting that Mr Izmirlian be taken to court and charged with defamation. Mr Izmilrilian had urged that there be a moratorium on the sale of Baha Mar until the whole issue could be examined by the Minnis government. In view of what Mr Izmiliran had said in stating his case, Mr Mitchell now wants him to face a court to answer to the charge of “self dealing”, which, alleged Mr Mitchell, Mr Izmirlian had made against some members of the Christie administration in their dealing with the Baha Mar transaction.

What a capital idea! Once before a court, the full truth can be told. We suggest that the last thing China Export-Import Bank and its construction partner, CCA, would want would be to be in any court where the full tragedy and double-dealing of the Baha Mar story can be told. They avoided Delaware’s Bankruptcy court when the Christie government wrapped them in our flag of sovereignty to force the case back to The Bahamas where we do not have laws to give a company in difficulty a second chance to rebuild. Since then Mr Izmirlian has been blocked from even bidding on his own creation when it was up for sale. For once, Mr Mitchell has made a worthwhile suggestion.

Let’s go for defamation, so that the world can hear the whole sorry tale of the Bahamian double cross.